MORE ABLE AND TALENTED VOCATIONAL LEARNER CASE STUDIES CONTENTS Case study: Creative Industries for MAT learners at The College Merthyr Tydfil 2 Case study: Fashion at Coleg Sir Gâr – Ciaran 3 Case study: Graphic design at Coleg Cambria – Darcy 4 Case Study: Cybersecurity at Cardiff and Vale College – Mateusz 5 Case Study: Children’s Care, Learning & Development at Coleg y Cymoedd – Shayleigh 6 Case Study: Electronic engineering at Gower College Swansea – Jamie 8 Case Study: Applied Science at Coleg Gwent – Owen 9 Case Study: Business with Law at NPTC Group of Colleges – Learner D 10 Case study: Sport at NPTC Group of Colleges – Learner K 11 Case study: Sport at Coleg Cambria – Emily 12 Case study: Plastering at NPTC Group of Colleges – Learner L 13 Case study: Engineering at Pembrokeshire College – Jack 15 Case study: Animal Management Bridgend College – Rebecca 17 2 CASE STUDY: CREATIVE INDUSTRIES FOR MAT LEARNERS AT THE COLLEGE MERTHYR TYDFIL Within Creative Industries, The College Merthyr Tydfil provides the opportunity to undertake the Gold Arts Award. This is delivered in association with Trinity College London and the University of South Wales which fully funds the award on the learner’s behalf, including voluntary residential elements. The award runs over the course of a year and is completed in 180 hours. The Gold Arts Award is a Level 3 qualification in itself and is worth 16 UCAS points. Through two units of learning, learners are invited to personally develop and document their own creative practice in art, dance, drama, media, music, performing art and/or photography. Unit one extends the learner’s creative practice. Unit two develops leadership and independence within their creative practice ending in an event, organised, marketed and run by the learners, which showcases their practice. This can be undertaken individually or as a group. Learners are guided through the award by the Creative Industries MAT liaison officer within the college, meeting as a group on a weekly basis to discuss ideas and progress. Tutors identify and nominate MAT learners for the award. They will be learners studying Creative Industries subjects at AS or first year BTEC levels. MAT learners will be those who are not necessarily high achievers in examinations, but naturally show high creative ability, dedication and drive within their chosen discipline/s. They can cope well with the additional work and might otherwise lack the opportunity to further develop skills, practice, creativity and industry networks. Throughout the award, learners must create a portfolio that documents all that they do. This documentation can be in any format, for example, written accounts, photo- or video-diary or a mix of media. This diversity empowers those learners who may be highly able in the arts but have additional learning needs such as dyslexia. They can therefore evidence progress, plans, activities and reflection in non-written ways as long as they ensure they are evaluative, critical and in-depth. 2019 will be the first year that the award is run within the college and fifteen MAT learners have been identified across the Creative Industries disciplines, thirteen of whom have accepted the opportunity. They started working towards the award in January 2019. The overall aim is to locate and guide the most creative learners to fully develop their talent and identify the opportunities that will enable them to excel in their current and future studies and their chosen careers. 2 3 CASE STUDY: FASHION AT COLEG SIR GÂR – CIARAN Ciaran was not an obvious MAT learner based on his prior attainment; he did however have a passion for the subject and a clear vision of his future intentions from the start. He had excellent attendance and work ethic, frequently staying on to use the degree facilities at the college’s Jobs Well campus to extend his practical work. He was a frequent attender of the Visiting Lecturer Programme, developing his ability to think laterally and critically analyse subjects from different perspectives and effectively relating theory to practice. He was not afraid to go beyond the subject area and made good use of all the resources across the campus – all departments, ot just fashion – at all times. He demonstrated a unique response to his final major project, which reflected his proactive approach to challenges and opportunities. Ciaran particularly stood out within his learner group due to his methodology of endorsing drawing - not only to develop ideas for fashion design but he often used his excellent drawing skills to develop print designs for fashion fabrics. This work demonstrated a level of sophistication and complexity to his designs and he would often call upon his interests in social and political culture to create his conceptual fashion ideas. To do this, Ciaran engaged with and was inspired by the Foundation Art & Design lecturers who actively promoted the discussion and exploration of current issues around Equality and Diversity and socially engaged practices. Prior to Foundation, Ciaran was fearful of industrial kit and openly admitted that using machinery was something that he avoided in previous studies. He was tutored to develop the pattern cutting skills to realise his fashion illustrations and given an induction in the industrial machinery. At times, his curiosity led him to try out new ways of using the machines, exposing seams to demonstrate the potential of the stitches as design features. Once he embraced the facilities and techniques at Carmarthen School of Art at Coleg Sir Gâr, he truly excelled which enabled him to create exciting, resolved garments. 3 4 CASE STUDY: GRAPHIC DESIGN AT COLEG CAMBRIA – DARCY Darcy is a prime example of a MAT learner, demonstrating resilience and perseverance. She possesses a passion for the arts, be it dramatic or visual. Through determination, diligence, and encouragement, Darcy represented Coleg Cambria as a MAT learner and placed Bronze in the Advanced Graphic Design Competition for Skills Wales in December 2018. Her MAT potential came to the forefront during her AS year at the college. Darcy found ease in combining multiple art disciplines in her projects, thus adding scope and depth to her work. In 2017, Darcy competed in the Advanced Graphic Design Competition for Skills Wales, however she did not place. Instead of being discouraged, she was determined to come back even stronger to compete the next year. Darcy upped her game and developed her graphic skills even further through her A-level classes at the college. She achieved her goal, medalling at the 2018 competition, which was an inspiration to all learners and staff at Coleg Cambria, as well as to the other competitors, and the Skills Wales judging team. Her self-determination and creative drive are what make Darcy stand out as a MAT learner. In addition, Darcy’s skill of reflection and critical analysis of her artwork is a key attribute in her standing as an art MAT learner. She takes on board ideas and suggestions, whilst always adding individuality and style to her work. This is particularly evident when Darcy works on graphic design briefs. She is able to adhere to client demands, yet at the same time create something unique and intriguing. Darcy utilised the facilities at the college to expand her knowledge in graphic design, and digital imagery work. She pursued her love of Art and Drama to add an additional creative edge to her designs. Her artwork comprises a medley of creative skills and technology, as Darcy made great use of the photography darkroom, textile facilities, and the Regional Print Centre at Coleg Cambria. She exhibits a distinctive response to project work, focusing on individual perspectives in Art and Design. Darcy draws upon her theoretical research skills for inspiration, as well as her travels abroad, and emerging technologies. She engages with her A-level lecturers to facilitate more in-depth and sophisticated outcomes by selecting appropriate resources, media and processes. Darcy has a particular strength in independently concentrating on reasoning and critical reflection for her projects. Staff worked one-on-one with Darcy leading up to the Skills Wales Graphic Design competition. She was given mini timed briefs to test her ability to work under pressure and to refine her work. Darcy was also assigned specific artists and designers to research, as well as her own independent artists to develop her ideas and design concepts. 4 5 CASE STUDY: CYBERSECURITY AT CARDIFF AND VALE COLLEGE – MATEUSZ During his time as a learner at Cardiff and Vale College, Mateusz excelled in his studies, demonstrating early on an ability to think laterally. His curiosity and technical background provided him with a platform that he built upon, consistently achieving high grades across the board during his Level 2 and 3 studies. He proved that he is capable of moving seamlessly between working as part of a group and working alone. Mateusz demonstrates a real talent for this area. During his first year as a Level 3 learner, Mateusz demonstrated a unique response to work which he completed for a live brief for Bae Coffi, which reflected his pro-active approach to challenges and opportunities. Mateusz particularly stood out due to his methodology, creating a unique website and winning first prize for this particular competition. In the second year of his Level 3 studies, he completed a Networking project using a variety of hardware as well using Virtualisation and Simulation software. He also completed PC and printer repairs in the specialised Lab. Mateusz’s workshop and research skills proved to be very strong, fully reflecting the high standard of his skills. He is always keen to challenge himself in activities, in turn translating these into a very strong body of work. During his two years as a Level 3 learner, Mateusz trained for and took part in the Worldskills (Wales) final and UK heats competitions in the Website Development, followed by the Cybersecurity competitions, where he won a number of awards for both skills.